Search on for frog poison shamans

A search is underway in Chile for two shamans who performed a ritual using poison extracted from an Amazonian frog that left one "patient" dead.

The healers - Chilean Carlos Molina and Brazilian Edson do Santos Katukina - conducted a massive healing ritual on Friday during which participant Daniel Lara died shortly after being inoculated with a substance known as kambo, a venom secreted by a small Amazonian tree frog.

The substance, which tribes use in healing rituals, was applied to treat a spinal disc ailment.

The incident took place in the town of Pichidegua, 150 kilometres south of the capital Santiago.

"The examination revealed that the deceased had a severely enlarged heart, pulmonary oedema and liver dysfunction, but drug tests will be necessary to determine if the poison accelerated these pathologies," prosecutor Aquiles Cubillos said.

Police investigators issued a border alert to prevent the accused shamans from leaving the country.

Shamans are part of a tradition rooted in the indigenous communities of Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania who are credited with wisdom, the ability to heal through rituals and communicate with spirits.